###Ringed Temple Trench
As you descend into the Temple Trench, you will come face to face with an elderly-looking Dark Elf who is seething with rage.
The first conflict you face in this area, despite the fact that it may at first appear to be one, is actually just a skirmish with some additional Dark Elf henchmen who stand in your way.
After you have defeated them, turn around and search the rooms that are behind you; you will find treasure there. Turning the central spoke of the one on the left will allow you to access a door on the right that contains a Draugr. First, you should get rid of that.
Proceed into that room and take a swing with your axe at the glowing vine you’ll find there. The next step is to make your way back to the central room where you turned the spoke and bring back the axe, causing it to strike both vines at the same time.
The newly discovered chamber contains a chest that contains Thiazi’s Talon, a new Heavy Runic Attack that deals a type of area-of-effect freezing damage cone in front of you. This attack can be found inside the chest.
There is another set of three chambers next to this one, with a Draugr behind some bars and a healing orb, but other than that, there is nothing else here for the time being. The other room contains some hacksilver.
###Ringed Temple Trench puzzle
After you have passed your waypoint, keep going to the north-east until you reach an area with a few more enemies and another Nornir rune chest. After you have removed them, you can proceed to solving the puzzle on the chest.
This one requires you to destroy the little runes rather than hit bells, so there is no time limit; however, it is one of the more difficult ones that we’ve found to complete. To begin, head to the cog that faces south and rotate it to bring the platform you’re standing on down to a lower level. When you turn the wheel, you will notice that the portion of the floor in the middle drops first, followed by the end parts such as the one you are standing on.
Bring it all the way to the ground, and using an axe throw, immobilise the gear that is in front of you. After that, you should rotate around and climb up onto the ledge that is there. You are currently standing next to the first rune when you remember the axe, as you have probably noticed already. If you smash it, not only will it bring back your axe after you froze the cog and recalled it, but it will also bring you back to the original height, right next to a chest that contains Runic Forearm Bracers.
As was mentioned earlier, the section of the floor located in the middle will be the one to lower first, followed by the sections located at either end. When you unfreeze the cog in the same way, the end sections of the cog rise first, followed by the section in the middle. The following two runes can be found embedded into the walls of the two end sections of the floor that are the first to raise up.
Therefore, the first step is to completely lower the floor and then lock the cog.
Then, bring your axe back to you by running to a position that is roughly parallel with the cog, with your back to the rune chest and slightly to the right. A rune will be inserted into the side of the end section that is just in front of you as it will raise up and move forward. If you keep swinging your axe at that wall as it rises, you will eventually bring it down.
In the near future, we will provide an update with some better screens; however, for the time being, take a look at the cog in this image; then, look to the left and slightly below it to find a glowing blue dot; this represents one Rune. The other one can be found in a location very similar to Kratos’s on the platform he is standing on in this picture.
The next step is to perform the same action as the previous one, but this time turn so that you are facing away from the rune chest and toward the end section that has the cog on top. The third rune is also embedded in a similar location on the face of the wall that you are currently facing.
When you are finished, lower the floor until it is at its lowest point once more, freeze the cog, and then run to the tunnel at the far end under the rune chest to a room with another wheel and cog to freeze.
Pull the cog down, but make sure to keep an eye on the end of the tunnel you just emerged from. There is another chest built into the wall there, and it will become accessible when the platform is about halfway down. Roll it down to the appropriate level, then place the cog in this room and freeze it.
After you have collected the treasure from the chest, which is a Rare Enchantment called the Fragmented Heart of Alfheim that lowers the damage that Dark Elves can deal to you (which will come in very handy in this situation), run back to the room at the far end of the corridor and enter it once more.
After exiting that room, follow the waypoint to the east, where you’ll find another pair of vines that require you to hit them simultaneously.
Help the boy up onto the ledge, then follow him once he’s there.
And now you’re under attack! Put on your Spartan Rage because Kratos gets upset when other people attack his son, and then hang right to break down some walls and make your way over to Atreus, who is holding his own pretty well. Atreus is doing pretty well for himself.
After eliminating the last few foes, follow the waypoint to a nearby door to proceed into a gilded room. There is not much for you to do in this room at this time, so proceed once more through another door, and the area will open up into a large chamber with multiple bridges and walkways.
You will need to descend to the lower walkway, make your way to the very end of it, then turn to the right to get in position for another shot at the glowing vines. Once these are eliminated, the light bridge in the area will be able to be reformed, allowing you to pass over it.
At the end, take a left turn, climb up the wall to the next level, and engage in some additional combat with the Dark Elves. By the way, a great way to deal with them quickly is to freeze them first, then kick them off ledges. This works wonderfully.
There will probably still be a flying one that is left over, and it will attempt to kill you while it is at a distance. To kill it, you’ll need to get within throwing axe distance, but watch out for its ranged attacks; if you get hit by one of them, you’ll temporarily lose some of your vision.
After you have vanquished all of those foes, a brand-new one will show up, and it’s a big one: a Stone Ancient!
###Stone Ancient boss fight
The battle against the Stone Ancient is more challenging than some of the other bosses you’ve faced so far, but it’s still not an insurmountable obstacle.
Be particularly wary of the Stone Ancient’s ranged ice attack; getting caught in it will slow you down and cause some heavy damage-over-time, but it can at least be blocked if you’re unable to dodge it. The main thing you have to do here is hit the right spot, at the right time, with ranged attacks while avoiding damage yourself. If you’re unable to dodge it, at least you can block it.
In the beginning, you should make an effort to land a hit with a throw of your axe on the glowing part of its chest. If you can get ahead of its ice beam attack, that is a good time to do it, as it will stay largely still while firing at you.
As soon as you’ve landed a good hit, some chunks of stone will have been knocked loose from the monster; normally, these chunks will fall off in sets of two at a time. You should quickly grab one of them and use it to retaliate against the glowing heart of the Ancient, just as you did with your axe.
This will cause the Ancient to become more vulnerable, and a prompt will appear directing you to hop on it and begin punching the living hell out of it by mashing R1 and R2 – don’t hesitate to do so!
It will be necessary for you to repeat that cycle one more time, and after the first time through it, additional Dark Elves will spawn. In order to give yourself some breathing room, it is recommended that you eliminate these enemies as quickly as possible while continuing to move around.
And that, in a nutshell, sums up everything there is to know about it. When the Stone Ancient is defeated, a new Labor called Last of the Anicents will begin, and it will drop some valuable items, such as an Ancient’s Heart, five pieces of Soft Svartalfheim Steel, a load of Hacksilver, and a Rare Enchantment called Fragmented Heart of Alfheim, which once more mitigates the effects of Dark Elven assaults.
You can also find a chest in the top-right corner of the area, which contains a Light Runic Attack called Njord’s Tempest. This attack causes you to spin in circles while charging at enemies like Crash Bandicoot.
Finally, in order to move forward, you need to go to the red pulsing thing that is shielded by some tendrils. Throw your axe at it or hack away at it, and then press the Circle button to interact with it. This will stop the strange pulsing plant stem and allow you to break it apart.
You are free to proceed after a new light bridge materialises.